E3 Press Conference: Microsoft

It's time for Microsoft to show us what they've got planned for this year. Read all the news and watch all the trailers from the Xbox E3 2016 Briefing right here on Startselect.

13-06-2016 - by Thijs Kaagman

Project Scorpio

The news of the night was undoubtedly Project Scorpio. It looks to be a new console within the Xbox family, existing next to the Xbox One and One S. All games and accessories like controllers will work on all three consoles, but it's the Scorpio that you want to buy as a hardcore gamer. Microsoft promises 4K gaming and complete VR support, with the most powerful hardware ever in a console.

Project Scorpio is set to release at the end of 2017.

Xbox One S

Microsoft opened up with the Xbox One Slim. This updated version of the One is 40% smaller, has an integrated power supply, 2TB HDD and increased hardware capabilities, supporting 4K Ultra-HD video.

The Slim will launch in August for $299.

Gears of War 4

Gears of War 4 will be one of the first Xbox Play Anywhere titles. When you buy it, you will be able to play it on both Xbox One and PC, progress like savegames and achievements will automatically be updated. The game will also support cross-play, allowing console gamers to play with their friends on PC. Two developers were on stage to showcase the co-op mode.

Gears of War 4 will launch on October 11. Microsoft also revealed an exclusive Gears of War Xbox Elite controller.

Killer Instinct

Rukari Austin, Community Manager for Killer Instinct was on stage to talk about KI for Windows 10 and Xbox One. He unveiled General Raam (Gears of War) as a new playable character for the game.

Killer Instinct will also support Xbox Play Anywhere.

Forza Horizon 3

Ralph Fulton, Creative Director at Playground Games was on stage to talk about Forza: Horizon 3. The racegame will be set in Australia. Several gamers were also on stage, to showcase the game on both Xbox One and PC and highlight the Xbox Play Anywhere capabilities.

Forza: Horizon 3 will launch September 27.

ReCore

A new shooter type game called ReCore was shown. The trailer introduced a girl using several robotic characters, who all seem to have their own skills and abilities.

Final Fantasy XV

Two developers from Square Enix were on stage to show Final Fantasy XV. They played a special E3 mission live on stage, fighting a gigantic monster.

Final Fantasy XV will launch September 30.

The Division: Underground

A new update for The Division was shown, taking place in the underground tunnels of New York. The DLC will be first available on Xbox One, starting June 28.

Battlefield 1

DICE took to the stage to once again talk about Battlefield 1. Xbox players and members of EA Access can access the game on October 13, instead of October 21.

Xbox Live

Mike Ybarra, Head of Platform Engineering talked about Xbox Live, backward compatibility and cross-play capabilities. Starting this summer you can play background music on your Xbox One, choose your own language and support for Cortana will be added to the console as well.

Ybarra also announced Clubs (where you can meet like-minded gamers on Xbox Live), Looking for Group (to find gamers to play with right now) and Arena, a tournament platform for Xbox Live.

Minecraft

Minecraft will soon support cross-play between iOS, Android and PC, once 'The Friendly Update' goes live. Two developers showcased Minecraft: Realms, where players can play on online Minecraft worlds. John Carmack was also on stage, playing Minecraft in VR with the Oculus Rift. Add-ons are coming to console and mobile Minecraft in coming months.

Custom controllers

Microsoft announced the ability to create your own Xbox One controller, customizing it with different colours and adding a personal text. It will be available on the Xbox Design Lab on Xbox.com

Inside

A mysterious game called Inside was shown, developed by the team behind LIMBO. We saw a grey and bleak office environment and... That's pretty much it.

LIMBO is now available for free on Xbox One.

Update: Polygon has some actual gameplay!

Indie titles

Microsoft showcased a whole bunch of indie games that will soon be available on Xbox One, some of them supporting Xbox Play Anywhere.

ARK

Gamers who've bought ARK for Xbox One, can soon play the game on PC as well, using the Xbox Play Anywhere program.

We Happy Few

Convulsion Games was on stage to showcase We Happy Few, a game that's coming to Xbox Game Preview next month. The game looks to be about a very creepy future where people take Joy pills to hide their true emotions.

Gwent

CD Projekt Red was on stage to talk about their new title, Gwent: The Witcher Card Game. It's a standalone version of the card game you can play within The Witcher III. The developer revealed they have updated some of the mechanics of the game, but it should definitely feel familiar for people who've played the minigame in The Witcher. The beta is coming this September to Xbox One and PC.

Tekken 7

Bandai Namco showed a cinematic trailer for Tekken 7. The trailer seamlessly transfered into live gameplay, where Akuma and Heihachi fought it out in a temple that was slowly being destroyed. Tekken 7 is launching early 2017.

Tekken Tag Tournament 2 is now available for Xbox One for free.

Dead Rising 4

To the sounds of 'Jinglebell Rock', a new Dead Rising was shown. We saw a lot of zombies being sliced, diced, smashed and ran over with a tractor.

Scalebound

Microsoft Studios talked about their original titles, once again highlighting the Xbox Play Anywhere program. Soon however, Hideki Kamiya from PlatinumGames took to the stage, to show Scalebound in co-op. Several players, flying on dragons, worked together to take down a gigantic Lovecraft-esque crab monster.

Sea of Thieves

Sea of Thieves is a new game by Rare, and it's about pirates. We were shown a cinematic trailer, after which a Rare developer appeared on stage to introduce some gameplay footage.

The game features a cartoony look and the footage showed players working together to sail on a pirate ship and battling it out on sea.

State of Decay 2

A cinematic for State of Decay 2 was shown, announcing it as an Xbox One and Windows 10 exclusive.

Halo Wars 2

A cinematic trailer announced Halo Wars 2, a sequel to the strategy game set in the Halo universe. Dan Ayoub from 343 Studios introduced Atriox and his Banished, a new enemy that you will have to defeat in the story-mode of the game.

Halo Wars 2 will release February 21, 2017 on Xbox One and Windows 10. A week-long beta is starting right now.

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